Take this evening for example. I am not feeling the best, and this week has been crazy. Thankfully, I knew that this week (like most weeks) was going to be a little nutty and that healthy meals were not going to happen if I did not plan ahead. On Sunday, I made the most of the remainder of my produce from the deliveries (yes, I said deliverieS... I am a produce junkie!!!) and chopped up some broccoli for snacks, and used the remainder for a good 'ol classic, Shepherd's Pie (Insert Joe with a big smile here).
I had some ground pork sausage and lean ground turkey, used half of each to make a meatloaf (in the freezer for another busy week) and browned the other half's in a non-stick skillet. When it was browned and cooked through I drained and rinsed it in a colander (insert Joe with a sad face here).
I let that rest while I sauteed a bunch of veggies in the same (cleaned) non-stick skillet. Here is where I got creative. I had onion, cauliflower, carrot, corn (fresh off the cob- thank you Black Hog Farms!), tomato paste, canned tomato (I used organic, low-sodium diced tomatoes with fennel and red pepper), Ancho chili (that I re-hydrated while the meat was browning), salt and pepper.
Yum! My favorite part about Shepard's Pie is that there are no rules. I love recipes like this. Recipes are for baked goods, not for dinner! Ok, ok, on to the rest of the meal. I used peeled (although I really hate to waste the nutrient-rich peel of a potato) starchy potatoes from the Farm and steamed them in my steamer basket until fork tender.
Next, I whipped up the steamed potatoes with Earth Balance "butter" and Tofutti "sour cream" and a lot of Horseradish (those of you without a dairy allergy, feel free to use a little butter and olive oil mixture and low fat sour cream). On a side note, if you like things with a little "kick", add prepared Horseradish to your next batch of mashed potatoes. You won't regret it.
Then, I added the browned meat to the veggies.
Next, I prepared my 13x9 baking dish with a little PAM
Pour meat and veggie mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes and spread out.
It looked like it needed a little color, so I added paprika and some sea salt.
Once I got to this stage, I covered in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and put into the fridge. On the night you are going to eat it, remove the plastic wrap and re-cover in the aluminum foil. I put into a cool oven and allowed it to warm up with the oven to 350 degrees and then cooked for 20 minutes. I then removed the foil and cooked an additional 10 minutes. Now, this makes a lot. We will have it again this evening for dinner and then for lunches tomorrow. I will probably end up transferring two good sized portions into a freezer proof container and freeze it for another plan ahead meal.
Whatever you and your family like, do what you can to plan ahead. It takes some practice, but use the days you have a little extra time to prep. Also, take an extra 15-20 minutes after coming home from the grocery store to wash and chop your produce. It makes you feel a bit like a cook on the Food Network when you have everything already prep'd and ready to be tossed into a skillet! On a side note about the Food Network, or The Cooking Channel. Rachael Ray has a great new show on called "Week in a Day" where she prepares 5 meals in one day. She walks you through where you prepare the meal up to and then where to pick up on the night you are going to eat it. Something to try and the recipes are good!
I am already looking forward to sharing my next post with you... I have two new "friends" in the kitchen. My mom bought me a Kitchen Aid Mixer for my birthday and Joe bought me a large Cuisinart food processor. So excited!!!
Happy Cooking!
